Matt Donovan
Matthew G. "Matt" Donovan is the ex-boyfriend of Caroline Forbes and Elena Gilbert, brother of Vicki Donovan. After the death of Elena's parents, Elena broke up with Matt due to needing some time alone to deal with all the things that had happened, although Matt still cares about Elena deeply. Throughout the series, Caroline and Matt begin dating; he encourages her to become a more caring, kind, and selfless young woman. He is Jeremy's best friend. Matt is a member of the Donovan Family. History Early History Matt was born in Mystic Falls. He is the son of Kelly Donovan and an unnamed father. He had an older sister, Vicki Donovan. Because Kelly and Miranda Gilbert, who was Elena's adoptive mother, were best friends since high school, Matt knew Elena Gilbert since infancy occasionally sharing a crib. They grew up together being really close childhood friends and began dating in their teenage years, feeling they owed it to themselves to try. When Elena's parents died, she broke up with Matt because she needed time alone to figure out her feelings. Matt still hoped they could be together, but it was not likely to happen due to Elena's instant connection to the new student, Stefan. It's something he might still mourn about. Throughout The Vampire Diaries Series Matt Donovan/Season 1|Season One Matt Donovan/Season 2|Season Two Matt Donovan/Season 3|Season Three Matt Donovan/Season 4|Season Four Season Five In I Know What You Did Last Summer, since graduation Matt has been touring the world with Rebekah and even met another girl named Nadia, but returns to Mystic Falls once their summer of fun is over. He is helping out at the End Of Summer celebration and Rebekah approaches him, where the two make out. The Original tries to convince Matt to come with her to New Orleans but Matt tells her that he needs a job and that he must face reality. At the celebration, Nadia catches Matt's eye and he follows her into an alleyway, where she returns the Gilbert Ring to Matt after robbing him and Rebekah. Matt intercepts the ring and a man emerges, grabbing Matt's head and casts a spell on him. The last shot of Matt is him collapsing on the ground. In True Lies, Matt and Jeremy are tasked by Damon to keep Katherine safe from Silas. He interrupts a brawl between Katherine and a local woman compelled by Silas and takes her at gunpoint. Stopping at a convenience store for gas, Katherine is recognized by the attendant and Matt knocks him out before he can alert Silas to her whereabouts. Later, Matt is holed up in the woods with Jeremy and Katherine hiding from Silas. Silas arrives at their location and attempts to use his mind control on Matt. His mind tricks are unsuccessful and Matt yells to Jeremy and Katherine to escape. Curious as to why his mind control didn't work, Silas probes Matt's mind and realizes that Gregor has already possessed him. He snaps Matt's neck before resuming his chase for Katherine. Matt's Gilbert Ring saves him and he awakens on The Other Side. There, he meets up with Bonnie and learns more about the Gilbert Ring and the Other Side. During their conversation he realizes Bonnie is dead. The two share an embrace as he finds his body to return to the real world. Matt is awoken by Jeremy and he remembers nothing about his experience on the Other Side. In Original Sin, Nadia confronts Matt outside the Mystic Grill. He angrily berates her for messing with his head and demands to know why he's having blackouts. She responds by phrasing a codeword which causes Gregor to emerge from Matt. Gregor is also angry with her for killing him and wants to know where his body was buried. Nadia reminds him that this is all according to plan. Later, Matt wakes up on the floor covered in mud and wonders how he got there. In For Whom the Bell Tolls, Matt tells Jeremy that he's freaking out and wants to show him something. When Jeremy arrives at the Lockwood Mansion, Matt shows him a dagger that he found in his pocket and tells him that he's been blacking out. Jeremy inquires about the Gilbert Ring Matt wears, and Matt responds that the Gilbert Ring has nothing to do with the blackouts. Jeremy notices Matt has set cameras up all over the house to help him figure out how he's losing time. Matt asks if Bonnie can help with his problems but Jeremy quickly evades the subject and leaves. Matt later wakes up from a nap and notices his hand is cut. Replaying the video from the camera he set up, he watches himself answer the phone. Matt is perplexed as he sees Gregor take control of himself and grab the dagger from the desk. Gregor speaks into the camera and tells Matt to protect the dagger at all cost while cutting his hand as a warning. Later, Matt is present while everybody is paying their respects to Bonnie. He is noticeably upset and in tears during her memorial. In Dead Man on Campus, ''Matt is serving drinks to Katherine at the Mystic Grill. Katherine is obviously drunk and he tries to cut her off; telling her she's starting to annoy the other customers. While replaying a video of himself transforming into Gregor, Katherine overhears and is piqued. She tells him she will help him out if he keeps pouring her drinks. She tells him a little about The Travellers and their ability to possess people. Matt asks about Nadia and Katherine mentions she knows her. Later, Matt is led into a room where Nadia, Katherine and Stefan are. Nadia summons Gregor per her mother's request. It is revealed the dagger that is in Matt's possession is the only thing that can disperse a Traveller's essence from it's host. Katherine plunges the dagger into Matt, freeing him of Gregor's possession. In ''Fifty Shades of Grayson, Matt is tasked by Katherine to help her get back into shape. After a six second handstand, Katherine falls to the ground. Matt tells her it was a nice try but Katherine says it was a horrible attempt and wants to prolong her death as long as possible. Matt sarcastically says it will happen, but Katherine couldn't hear what he said. She panics, thinking that she's losing her hearing and her body is falling apart. Matt gives her some water and tells her to take deep breaths. He asks her why she just doesn't ingest vampire blood but she says she's already tried and her body keeps rejecting it. Nadia arrives and slaps Katherine across the face for leaving a suicide note, much to Matt's amusement. Later, Nadia is waiting for Matt outside the Mystic Grill. She mentions they met in a similar place but Matt says he's put it behind him. Nadia then asks if Matt will keep the Traveller's knife if Katherine decides to try Traveller possession. Matt wants nothing to do with the dagger, saying he just recently got rid of it. He tells Nadia that Katherine only cares about Katherine. Nadia responds that she spent 500 years looking for her mother and now that she's found her, she's going to lose her already. She goes on to tell Matt that she doesn't know if she should hate Katherine or be at her side as she's dying. Matt's interest is piqued and he sits down across from her. He explains that he understands what it's like to have a negligent and absentee mother. Nadia replies that he must know what it's like to hang onto the hope that just once, their mothers will do the right thing. Matt puts his hand on Nadia's to comfort her and tells her that he'll keep the knife in case Katherine changes her mind. In The Devil Inside, he meets Katherine in Elena's body and she tells him that she is Katherine and would like to ask questions about Elena's life. As he refuses she compells him to keep her secret and asks him whatever she wants and he tells him. When he leaves, he finds Tyler in his house and decides to throw him a welcome party. He invites some vampires to his house for the party (Caroline, Stefan, and Elena/Katherine). When Katherine is worried about others finding out about her, she uses compulsion to ask questions for his guidance to be more like Elena. In Total Eclipse of the Heart, ''Katherine continues to use Matt as her source about Elena. While Matt is working in the bar and talking with Tyler, Nadia is always close to him so she could compel him anytime and ask questions Katherine needs. Personality Matt is everyone's definition of the "everyday man". Out of the characters, he is the most "normal"; he does not possess any supernatural attribute, nor any supernatural artifact that makes him stand out of the rest of humanity and he wants it to stay that way. He is, however, aware of the supernatural world and has more than had his fair share of skirmishes with them in the past. Matt is often seen by some people as a person who only cares about the sport, however, he is just the opposite, Matt is strong because he wants to protect his family and friends from the dangers that threaten them every day. As far as personality goes, Matt is loyal, headstrong, and down-to-earth. These qualities make it very hard for other characters not to like him, and he has captured the hearts of several females throughout the series. Physical Appearance Matt is a very handsome young man, who stands at approximately 6' foot tall with baby blue eyes and short blonde hair. He has an attractive face and can be considered as the stereotypical football player in regards to his personality and physical looks. Matt's hairstyle over the seasons has remained similar, shortened with not much length except his hair was somewhat longer in the first season. On special occasions, Matt has been shown to gel his hair such as for the 60's decade dance, for a more formal style. His clothing sense is that of a typical teenager, for school as he played football, he used to wear the school Timberwolves jacket however usually wore a range of different coloured t-shirts and jeans with boots or sneaker shoes. Lately, he has been wearing checkered button-down shirts with a t-shirt underneath or shirts with an unbuttoned collar. He also wears a heavy jacket with hoods or light weight jackets, both of which are usually a darkened color. Working at the Grill, Matt has a uniform which consists of a dark blue t-shirt and black trousers. On occasions, he regularly wears a dark tuxedo and trousers with a tie. Relationships *Matt and Vicki (Brother/Sister) *Elena and Matt (Ex-Girlfriend/Close Friends) *Caroline and Matt (Ex-Girlfriend/Good Friends) *Jeremy and Matt (Best Friends) *Matt and Bonnie (Good Friends) *Tyler and Matt (Friends) *Matt and Rebekah (Good Friends) *Matt and April (Good Friends) *Matt and Nadia (Ex-Fling/Allies) *Katherine and Matt (Former Enemies/Allies) Appearances Season 1 *Pilot'' *''The Night of the Comet'' *''Friday Night Bites'' *''You're Undead to Me'' *''Lost Girls'' *''Haunted'' *''162 Candles'' *''History Repeating'' *''The Turning Point'' *''Unpleasantville'' *''Fool Me Once'' *''A Few Good Men'' *''There Goes the Neighborhood'' *''Let the Right One In'' *''Under Control'' *''Isobel'' *''Founder's Day'' Season 2 *''The Return'' *''Brave New World'' *''Bad Moon Rising'' *''Plan B'' *''Masquerade'' *''The Sacrifice'' *''By the Light of the Moon'' *''The Descent'' *''Daddy Issues'' *''Crying Wolf'' *''The House Guest'' *''Know Thy Enemy'' *''The Last Dance'' *''The Last Day'' *''The Sun Also Rises'' Season 3 *''The Birthday'' *''The Hybrid'' *''The Reckoning'' *''Smells Like Teen Spirit'' *''Ghost World'' *''Homecoming'' *''Our Town'' *''Bringing Out The Dead'' *''Dangerous Liaisons'' *''1912'' *''The Murder of One'' *''Heart of Darkness'' *''Do Not Go Gentle'' *''Before Sunset'' *''The Departed'' Season 4 *''Growing Pains'' *''Memorial'' *''The Rager'' *''The Killer'' *''We All Go A Little Mad Sometimes'' *''My Brother’s Keeper'' *''O Come, All Ye Faithful'' *''After School Special'' *''Catch Me If You Can'' *''A View To A Kill'' *''Stand By Me'' *''Bring It On'' *''Pictures of You'' *''She's Come Undone'' *''The Walking Dead'' *''Graduation'' Season 5 *''I Know What You Did Last Summer'' *''True Lies'' *''Original Sin'' *''For Whom the Bell Tolls'' *''Dead Man on Campus'' *''Fifty Shades of Grayson'' * The Devil Inside *''Total Eclipse of the Heart'' *''No Exit'' *''Inspiration of Heart'' *''Family Reunion'' *''The Night of The Bonfire'' }} Novels In the novels, Matt's surname is Honeycutt, not "Donovan", and like the series, he is Elena's ex-boyfriend. Vicki is also not his sister in the novels. Matt Honeycutt's father is dead and his mother is only briefly mentioned and is completely dissimilar to Kelly Donovan. Name *'Matt' is a masculine name of Hebrew origin. It is from the Hebrew מַתִּתְיָהוּ ''(Mattiyahu) which means ''"Gift of Yaweh". ''Matt is a variation or short form for Matthew. Trivia * Matt's birthday is February 21st. ** Matt's astrological sign is Pisces. *So far, Matt has died three times in the series. **His first "death" occurred in ''The Reckoning. He drowned himself to communicate with his sister Vicki. Bonnie revived him with CPR. **His second death occurred in She's Come Undone. Damon snapped his neck to turn Elena's humanity on. The Gilbert Ring resurrected him. **His third "death" occurred in True Lies. Silas snapped his neck, because he couldn't control him since he was already possessed by The Travellers. **Matt's first death was "natural" in contrast with his second death caused by "supernatural" causes. This is similar to the character of Buffy Summers who has also died twice. Like Matt, she was drowned causing her first death while her second death was also supernatural: she was killed by mystical energy. * In the books, Matt's surname is Honeycutt, but in the TV series, his surname is Donovan. * In the books, Matt learns that Stefan and Damon are vampires and that Elena has become a vampire and needs blood. * In the series, Matt was the second to last main character to learn about the supernatural world (before Jenna) and he is the last character to have learned this to be still alive since Jenna died one episode after. * Matt is not the brother of Vicki in the books. In the tv series, he is Vicki's brother and takes care of Vicki and his mother Kelly. * In the books, Matt becomes Stefan's best friend, but in the series, Matt is best friends with Tyler Lockwood and Jeremy Gilbert. * In the series, he often shortens people's names, as well as Damon, but with nicknames - ** Vicki "Vick" ** Tyler "Ty" ** Jeremy "Jer" ** Caroline "Care" ** Bonnie "Bon" * Kevin Williamson commented on the character Matt, saying "There's a door there, that we will eventually open, but for now he's human" * Although Matt's feelings for Elena are a major recurring theme in the first season, they have seemed to have completely vanished to make way for his new feelings for Caroline, which become a major plotline in the second season particularly since Caroline is now a vampire. However, in the books, Matt's feelings for Elena never seem to go away and play an even stronger role since he still has feelings for her when he discovers the existence of the supernatural world. * Matt was the first main character who destroyed an Original (Finn) without neutralizing it. (The Murder of One). **Finn is also his first, and only kill to date. * Matt is one of three main characters that has killed an Original. The other two are Niklaus and Jeremy. * In the books, he and Damon interact more often than in the TV series. *Although Vicki was a grade above Matt, she isn't quite a year older then him. * He and Jeremy are indirectly responsible for Elena becoming a vampire. * Before Graduation, Matt had never set one foot out of Mystic Falls. **This changed when he and Rebekah took a summer trip around Europe. *Matt is the first main character to be possessed by someone through Traveler magic Episode Absence Season One *In Season 1 Matt doesn't appear in 5 episodes: **''Family Ties'' **''Bloodlines'' **''Children of the Damned'' **''Miss Mystic Falls'' **''Blood Brothers'' Season Two *In Season 2 Matt doesn't appear in 7 episodes: **''Memory Lane'' **''Kill or Be Killed'' **''Rose'' **''Katerina'' **''The Dinner Party'' **''Klaus'' **''As I Lay Dying'' Season Three *In Season 3 Matt doesn't appear in 7 episodes: **''The End of The Affair'' **''Disturbing Behavior'' **''Ordinary People'' **''The New Deal'' **''The Ties That Bind'' **''All My Children'' **''Break On Through'' Season Four *In Season 4 Matt doesn't appears in 6 episodes: **''We'll Always Have Bourbon Street'' **''Into the Wild'' **''Down the Rabbit Hole'' **''Because the Night'' **''American Gothic **''The Originals'' Season Five *In Season 5 Matt so far was absent from 4 episodes. **''Monster's Ball'' **''Handle with Care'' **''Death and the Maiden'' **''The Cell'' }} Tropes *Elena's former boyfriend, hasn't given up hope yet - which makes him a Dogged Nice Guy . *He is pretty much a Generic Guy , with no special qualities - except being human . *Of course, he just wants his beloved to be happy , so he forgives Elena for ditching him and tries to be friends with Stefan. *His life sucks most of the times: We don't even know if he knew his father ;his mother is an Alcoholic who left him for a boyfriend in Florida; his sister Vicki was a drug addict who got turned into a Vampire by Damon because he was bored then staked by Stefan. Ah, and Vicki came back as a ghost. She was persuaded by Esther to try and kill Elena! *Like most of the main cast, he even died once. But he was revived. *By season 4 he is the only one in the cast member to remain human, so he is the Token Human , which in this case is also a Token Minority. * He's Rebekah's Morality Pet *With April and Meredith he is part of Team Normal - the humans without powers that help the super-powered heroes. References Gallery See also Category:Characters Category:Main Characters Category:Season 1 Characters Category:Season 2 Characters Category:Season 3 Characters Category:Season 4 Characters Category:Season 5 Characters Category:Protagonists Category:Mystic Falls Residents Category:Donovan Family Category:Humans Category:Medium